Tube-rolling machine



Dec. 3, 1929. STEPHENS v 1,738,125

TUBE ROLLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 10, 192' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 B 1N i o I 7 (Q I Dec. 3, 1929. H. H. STEPHENS .LUBE ROLLING MACHINE 3 SheetQ-Sheet '2 I Filed Nov. 10. 192*? Imfen 01y Dec. 3, 1929.

H. H. STEPHENS 1,738,125

TUBE ROLLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 10. 192 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUBE-ROLLING MACHINE Application filed November 10, 1927.

My invention relates to a machine for rolling fines or tubes and has for its object the provision of a machine whereby the tubes or fines of boilers, after being butt welded by the resistance welding method, are properly rolled and finished; the machine involving means whereby the tubes are properly supported during operation and wabbling of the tubes prevented; while the inside of the tube is also perfectly rolled and a large opening through the tube in keeping with its original inside diameter provided.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be more readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine with portions of the supporting frame and the base omitted.

Figure 2 is detail sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of same with intermediate portions of the machine broken away.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4- 1 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is an end view of the rear or driving pulley end of the machine with portions broken away.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of the opposite or forward end of the machine with the supporting frame or legs broken away.

Figure 7 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The machine, in its form as shown in the drawings, comprises suitable supporting standards or legs, portions of which are indicated at 10, arranged at the ends and intermediate portions of the machine; these sup porting frames or legs being all substantially similar and for sake of lightness may be of skeleton construction and adapted to be secured to a suitable base. The legs are preferably arranged in pairs at the ends and in termediate portion; the legs at the rear end for example being connected together at top by a connecting plate as at 11 in Figure 5.

Serial No. 282,211.

This connecting plate 11 also acts as a support for the bearing brackets 12, 12 which support the shaft bearing 13, which is shown provided with journals 14 mounted in suitable holes provided in the brackets 12, 12. The bearing 13 supports the drive shaft 15 on which a clutch pulley 16 is secured. Clutch pulley 16 is intended to be rotated from any suitable power source by means of a belt passing about pulley 16 which is loosely mounted on drive shaft 15 and is intended to be placed into operative relation with drive shaft 15 through actuation of a cone clutch 17 which is slidably secured to the drive shaft 15. The cone clutch 17 is operated in a well known manner to effect driving relation between the pulley 16 and the drive shaft 15 when the clutch mechanism is properly actuated.-

The main drive shaft 15 is also suitably supported intermediate of its ends; while its opposite or forward end is provided with a suitable tube mandrel 18 secured in place by the mandrel nut 19. The drive shaft 15 is provided with a driving gear 20 which meshes with and drives gears 21, 21 secured to the rear ends of revoluble shafts 22, 22. The two shafts 22, 22 are arranged in the same horizontal plane with each other beneath the plane of drive shaft 15. The shafts 15 and 22, 22, at their rear ends, are rotatably mounted in suitable bearings arranged in a bearing plate 23 bolted or otherwise properly secured to the supporting legs or standards, see Figure 2; while the intermediate portions of the shafts 22,22 are supported in a bearing support or plate 24:, see Figure 4, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the top of the intermediate pairs of supporting brackets or legs 10.

The forward ends of the shafts 22, 22 are each provided with a roller 25; the ends of the shafts 22, 22, adjacent the forward ends, being provided with suitable bushings 26 mounted in openings arranged in the lower portion or frame 27 of a cylinder casing 28.

"he cylinder 28, arranged at the forward end of the machine, is provided with a cylindor head 29 suitably bolted to the cylinder casing; the cylinder head being shown centrally provided with a compressed air 7 air feed line 33 which in turn is intended to be connected with a suitable source of compressed air supply. The feed line 33 is shown provided with a globe or shut-0E valve 34 in advance of connection with the four-way cook. The air pipe 31 is also shown connected with an air gauge 35; and the fourway cock 32 is shown provided with a suitable operating lever or handle 36.

The cylinder 28 is provided with a piston 37 having a piston rod 38 disposed through the hub or boss 39 at the lower end of the cylinder casing 28; the lower end wall of the cylinder casing providing a seat for a coil spring 40, disposed about the piston-rod 3 8, which normally tends to maintain the piston in its normal or upwardposition. The piston 37 is shown with 'a follower plate 41 secured thereto for example by means of bolts .42; the follower plate and piston having a suitable packing 43 secured therebetween. I The lower end of the piston rod 38 is sh own provided witha shoe'or slide member 44 which is adapted to slide up and down on bearing surfaces 45 on the cylinder frame 27. llhis shoe or slide plate 44 has a retaining plate 46 secured thereto by means of bolts 47 g and the lower end of the shoe 44, between the bearing surfaces 45 and the retaining platez46, is provided with suitable bearings as shown for supporting an idler shaft 49.

The idler sha'ft49 which is disposed in a horizontal plane above the shafts 22, 2 and immediately abovemain drive shaft 15, has its forward end provided with a roller 50, see Figuresl' and 7. r The rear end of the idler shaft 49 is rotatably mounted in a bearing block 51having journals 52, 52 mounted in the bracket members 53, 53 which are suitably secured to the bearing plate 23.

The bearing supportor plate 24, located intermediate o the ends of the shafts, namely at an intermediate point of the machine as shown in Figures 1 and 3, has each end provided with a bowed spring plate 54, with 'the'free ends'of the spring plates '54 each provided with a substantially semi-circular tube supporting plate 55. The tube supporting plates 55 are disposed about the main drive shaft l5 and describe a circumference some what larger than that of the drive shaft, in order to permit the passage of the flue 'or tube, which is inserted onto the main drive shaft, to pass between the supporting plates 5.). The purpose of the supporting plates 55 is to freely hold the tube and prevent wabbling duringoperation.

Locatedadfjacent to the lower end and at one side of the cylinder frame 27 is an air cylinder 56 suitably held in place, for example by means of the U-bolts 57, see Figures 1, 6 and 7. The air cylinder 56 is provided with a two piece piston 58 between which suitable leather packing 59 is arranged; the two piece piston and packing being held in place by nut 60, screwed on the end of piston rod 61. The outer end of the piston rod 61 is shown threaded and has clutch control rod 62 secured thereto by means of the coupling 63. Rod (32 controls the clutch cone 17 whereby operative relation between the drive pulley 16 and main drive shaft 15 is effected. The cylinder frame 27 is shown provided with a bracket 64, see Figures 1 and 7, through which the end of clutch control rod 62 extends; the bracket (34 controlling or regulating the travel of rod 62. The control rod isalso slidably mounted intermediate of its ends in a suitable supporting bracket 65, see Figures 1 and 3.

The forward head 66 of air cylinder 56 is provided with an air line 67 which is connected by means of T-coupling (38 with air line 31 at a point intermediate of the fourway cook .32 and the branch air pipe 30 which leads into main air cylinder 28. The rear head 69 of air cylinder 56 is provided with air pipe 70 (see Figure 1) which connects with four-way cock 32.

Adjacent to the rear end, the main drive shaft 15 is preferably provided with a setcollar 71 for the purpose of avoiding unnecessary horizontal or longitudinal travel of the shaft 15.

The forward end of idler shaft 49 is provided with a shaft bearing 72 having trunnions or journals 73, 73 oscillatably mounted in thimbles 74 which are secured in the main cylinder frame 27 by plates 44 and 46. This bearing permits relative movement between the idler shaft and the cylinder frame during reciprocatory movement of the slide member or shoe 44 caused by operation of piston 37 in the main air cylinder 28. The rear end of idler shaft 49 is provided with a pair of set-collars 76 disposed on opposite sides of the bearing 51 for the purpose of limit ing or preventing unnecessary longitudinal travel of the idler shaft 49.

hen compressed air is admitted by means of pipe 33 to four-way cook 32 and lever 36 of the four-way cock is actuated so as to admit air into pipe 31 air is also simultaneously admitted into pipe 67 which communicates with cylinder head (36 of the air cylinder 56; it being assumed that shut-off of globe-valve 34 has been previously opened.

The proper opening of four-way cock 32 to admit air into line 31, allows air to pass into pipe 30 and into cylinder 28 above its piston 37, thus causing piston 37 to reciprocate downwardly against the action of coil spring 40. This, in turn, moves the shoe or slide member 44 carrying the forward end of the idler shaft 49 downwardly so as to bring the roller 50 into contact with the outer side of the flue or tube which has been inserted over the mandrel and mandrel nut 18-19 secured on the forward end of main drive shaft at the same time causing the flue or tube to be firmly held on the rollers 25, 25 of shafts 22, 22 which are disposed in a horizontal plane beneath the plane of drive shaft 15; the last mentioned shafts being positively rotated in opposite directions by means of the gears 21, 21 secured thereto and arranged in mesh with gear 20 on the end of drive shaft 15. The number of teeth in gear 20 on main drive shaft 15 are preferably less than the number of teeth on each of the gears 21 of shafts 22, 22, with the result that the mandrel 18 on main drive shaft revolves faster than the rollers 25, 25; this arrangement having a tendency to do better work in the rolling of the inside of the tube and causing the opening through the tube to be made as large as possible in keeping with its original inside diameter.

The rear end of clutch control rod 62 is provided with a connection 77 which is pivotally connected with clutch shifter 78, whose opposite end is pivotally connected to a bracket 79 secured at 80, to one of the main supporting members or legs of the machine; the clutch shifter 78 having operative controlling relation with the clutch cone 17.

I have shown what is believed to be the simplest embodiment of my invention which has been described in terms employed merely as terms of description and not as terms of limitation, as structural modifications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a main drive shaft provided with a tube receiving mandrel, a pair of roller carrying shafts arranged in a horizontal plane beneath that of the main drive shaft, means for effecting operative relation between said shafts and causing simultaneous rotation thereof, a roller carrying idler shaft arranged in a plane above that of said main drive shaft, a reciprocating piston operatively connected with said idler shaft, and means for controlling the power medium for said piston.

2. A machine of the character described comprising power imparting mechanism, a main rotatably mounted drive shaft provided with a tube-receiving mandrel, means for effecting operative relation between said power imparting mechanism and said shaft, a pair of rotatable roller carrying shafts operatively connected with said first mentioned shaft, a roller carrying idler shaft mounted in a plane above said first mentioned shafts and adapted to have oscillatable movement, an air cylinder provided with a reciprocable piston opera tively connected with said idler shaft and means for controlling the admission of air to said cylinder.

3. A machine of the character described comprising a main frame, a mandrel carrying shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a pair of roller carrying shafts mounted in the frame in a plane beneath that of said first mentioned shaft and operatively connected with the same, a vertically disposed cylinder provided with a slide-way providing frame, a roller carrying idler shaft disposed in a plane above said first mentioned shaft and provided with oscillatable bearings in the main frame and in said cylinder frame, a reciprocating piston in saidcylinder operatively connected with said idler shaft, and means for simultaneously controlling operation of said first mentioned shaft and said piston.

4. In a machine of the character described, a main drive shaft provided with a mandrel at one end, a pair of roller carrying shafts revolvably mounted in a plane beneath that of said main shaft, mechanism intermediate of the three shafts whereby the pair of shafts are rotated at a lesser speed than said drive shaft, a vertically disposed cylinder provided with a frame having a slide-way, a roller carrying idler shaft disposed through said slide-way, a reciprocating shoe mounted in said slideway and having operative relation with said idler shaft, a piston in said cylinder operatively connected with said shoe, and means for controlling the power imparting medium admitted to said cylinder.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a main frame provided with powtar-imparting mechanism, a mandrel carrying shaft rotatably mounted in saiu frame, means for providing operative relation between said shaft and the power mechanism, a pair of roller carrying shafts rotatably mounted in said main frame in a plane beneath that of the first mentioned shaft and operatively connected with the latter, a roller carrying idler shaft mounted above said first mentioned shaft so as to have reciprocal motion, and air control means operatively connected with said idler shaft and said first mentioned means whereby said first mentioned shafts are caused to rotate and said idler shaft caused to oscillate toward said first mentioned shafts.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a main frame provided with power imparting mechanism, amain shaft rotatably mounted in said frame and adapted to be placed into operative relation with said power mechanism, a pair of roller carrying shafts rotatably mounted in the main frame in a plane beneath that of said first mentioned snart, an ,air cylinder mounted above said shafts and provided with a slide-way, a roller carrying idler shaft disposed through said slide-way and oscillatably mounted at one end to said main frame, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder and having controlling relation with said idler shaft, means for maintaming said piston in normal position, an an line communicating with said cylinder, and

means for controlling air admission to said cylinderand for effecting operative relation between said first mentioned shaft and the power mechanism.

7. A machine of the character described comprising a main frame provided with power imparting mechanism, a main shaft rotatable lllISfllCl main frame and adapted to be placed into operative relation with said power mechanism, a pair of roller carrying shafts rotatably mounted in said frame in a plane beneath that of the first mentioned shaft, a, cylinder provided'with a reciprocating piston, a roller carrying idler shaft mounted in a plane above said first mentioned shaft and provided with bearings having journalled relation with said piston, and means for controlling the power medium for said cylinder.

8. A machine of the character described comprising amain shaft, a pair of shafts operatively connected with said main shaft so as to rotate therewith, an idler shaft mounted at its ends so as 'to oscillate toward said main shaft, a cylinder having a slideway through which said idler shaft extends and provided with a piston having journalled bearing relation with said-idler shaft, means for limiting longitudinal movement of said shaft, and means for controlling the flow of power medium to said cylinder.

9.-A machine of the character described comprising a supporting frame provided with driving mechanism, a main drive shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, means for effecting operative relation between said shaft and the driving mechanism, a pair of roller carryingshafts, a roller carrying idler shaft adapted to move toward said first mentioned shaft, and means for simultaneously causing movement of said idler shaft toward said first shaft and for effecting operative relation between said first shaft and the driving mechanism.

10. A machine of the character described comprising a supporting frame provided with driving mechanism, a main shaft rotatable in said frame and adapted to be placed into operative relation with the driving mechanism, a pair of roller carrying shafts rotatable in said frame and operatively connected with said first mentioned shaft to rot-ate therewith, a roller carrying idler shaft provided with bearings at one end j ournalled on said frame, a vertically disposed slide-way through which said idler shaft extends, a reciprocable piston provided with a journal bearing for said idler shaft, and means for controlling the reciprocation of said piston and for effecting operative relation between said first mentioned shaft and the driving mechanism.

11. A machine of the character described comprising a tube receiving shaft, yielding means adjacent opposite sides of said shaft for holding the tube to be operated on, a pair of roller carrying shafts, a roller carrying idler shaft journalled so as to permit movement of said shaft toward the first mentioned shaft, and means whereby movement of the idler shaft toward the first mentioned shaft is controlled.

12. A machine of the character described comprising a supporting frame, driving mechanism, a tube receiving shaft, controllable means for effecting operative relation between said shaft and the driving mechanism, yieldable tube holding means associated with said shaft, rotatable means arranged adjacent to said shaft so as to engage the tube on said shaft, oscillatable means adapted to move toward said tube receiving shaft, means disposed above said last mentioned means whereby said last mentioned means is normally held away from said shaft, and power means for forcing said last means toward the shaft.

18. A machine of the character described comprising a tube receiving shaft, means for operating said shaft, rotatable means arranged adjacent to said shaft so as to engage the tube on said shaft, oscillatable means adapted to move toward said tube receiving shaft, an air cylinder provided with a piston having operative relation with said oscillatable means whereby the piston is forced toward said tube receiving shaft, and a spring disposed about the piston within the cylinder whereby the pistonwith said means are normally held in raised position above the tube receiving shaft.

14. A machine of the character described comprising a tube receiving shaft, a pair of shafts arranged parallel with the first mentioned shaft, means whereby said shafts are rotated at different speeds, a fourth shaft journaled at one end so as to permit the free end thereof to oscillate toward the first men tioned shafts, and means having controlling relation with said fourth shaft whereby the latter is controlled.

HOXVARD H. STEPHENS. 

